The Broncos have spent the first two weeks of training camp looking like a team with real staying power in the AFC, and that’s exactly why the next move matters so much. Denver has a roster that looks strong on paper and is starting to flash in practice, but there’s still one spot that keeps sticking out: tight end.
That’s the area the Broncos should be targeting if they decide to work the trade market. Not receiver.
Not cornerback. Tight end.
The case for adding there is pretty straightforward. Evan Engram has generated some early buzz in camp, and Denver is trying to get more out of him as a blocker in the run game, but that’s not the part of his game that stands out.
Beyond him, the room has offered very little to feel good about. Tight end has been a weak spot for three straight years, and the Broncos need to do more than hope it sorts itself out.
Justin Joly, a fifth-round pick, is still very much in the rookie stage of his development. Dallen Bentley, a rookie seventh-rounder, is sitting at the bottom of the depth chart.
Nate Adkins has already been slowed by a camp injury. Adam Trautman has yet to show up in any of the camp notebooks for positive reasons through the first two weeks.
Lucas Krull has made a play or two as a receiver, but not enough to change the overall picture. And Caleb Lohner still hasn’t practiced after a “routine” clean-up procedure in June that was not supposed to cost him any camp time.
Free agency doesn’t appear to offer a real fix, either. The Broncos may be able to find a trade candidate at tight end, but if they do nothing and simply run it back, they’re choosing to live with a problem that’s already been hanging around too long. And no, Taysom Hill is not the answer.
That’s why Denver can’t afford to get cute by moving a receiver or cornerback. At wide receiver, the concern is health.
Jaylen Waddle and Marvin Mims Jr. are both banged up, while Pat Bryant and Troy Franklin both dealt with injuries last year. This offense needs more explosive plays and a steadier passing attack over the course of the season, so taking a weapon out of the mix would be the wrong call.
The Broncos have Super Bowl aspirations, and the safer play is to keep the room intact, let it breathe, and revisit the situation in 2027 depending on who emerges and how the contracts line up.
Cornerback is a different issue, but it points to the same conclusion. Jahdae Barron still hasn’t forced his way into the starting lineup.
Riley Moss has been on fire, and Ja'Quan McMillian just got a one-year raise on a restricted free-agent tender. Barron, the Broncos’ 2025 first-round pick, has also been behind Kris Abrams-Draine in the boundary cornerback battle.
Moss is starting opposite Patrick Surtain II, and by all accounts he has taken a noticeable step forward.
That’s why moving Moss would be such a dangerous swing. If Barron had seized the job, maybe this would be a different conversation.
Instead, he’s still trailing and heading in the wrong direction. Trading Moss away and asking Barron to carry too much too soon would only weaken the secondary.
So the warning here is really about three possible mistakes tied together: don’t strip depth from receiver, don’t thin out cornerback, and don’t ignore the obvious need at tight end. The Broncos have built a good roster, and they shouldn’t mess with the parts that are working. But the weakness at tight end is loud enough that it needs real attention.
In Other News...
Bo Nix Has A Clear Preference For Denvers New Offensive Setup
As the Broncos work through the early details of Davis Webbs first season as offensive coordinator, one of the quieter choices is already carrying some weight: where hell actually call plays from. Webb, a former NFL quarterback, is weighing the sideline against the booth, and while he has not locked in a final decision, the lean appears to be toward staying down on the field. It is a small operational call, but one that can shape communication, pace and the feel of Denvers offense on game day.
Sean Payton has backed the sideline setup, and Bo Nix has made clear he prefers it too, which gives that option plenty of internal support as the Broncos settle into a new offensive structure. The discussion fits a familiar Broncos thread, since past coaches have also favored different spots based on how they wanted to manage the game. For now, the question is less about philosophy than finality, and Webbs choice will be one of the first real tells of how this offense wants to function when the games start mattering. [Read more 🡒]
Colin Cowherd Sees A Troubling Sign In The Broncos Outlook
Fox Sports analyst Colin Cowherd is looking at the Broncos future with a wary eye, and his concern starts with how they won last season. Denver was constantly living on the edge, trailing in a bunch of games before finding ways to come out on top, a formula that can look sturdy in the moment and fragile when the wins stop breaking the right way. Cowherd tied that kind of success to the idea that it can be hard to repeat, especially for a team that has spent a lot of time winning tight ones.
The comparison he reached for was the Chiefs, whose own recent slide serves as a warning sign for any contender trying to stay ahead of the curve. From Denvers perspective, the pressure only gets louder because the opening stretch of the schedule leaves little room to ease in, with a run of opponents that could quickly test whether last seasons resilience was a real step forward or just a hard-to-replicate run of good fortune. [Read more 🡒]
Sean Payton Suddenly Has A Broncos Camp Problem Fans Feared
Training camp is only a few days old, but the Broncos are already dealing with the kind of soft-tissue injuries that can make August feel longer than it should. Jaylen Waddle and Marvin Mims Jr. have both been affected, and the wave of issues has forced Denver to manage practices more carefully as Sean Payton tries to keep the roster moving toward the season without losing momentum.
Payton said the early camp grind brings its own challenges, and he has already pointed to the work that happens before players ever step on the field as part of avoiding those strains and groin or hamstring problems. The concern now is how quickly the Broncos can stabilize things, especially with the position groups they are trying to evaluate and the health questions that keep surfacing while camp is still in its early stages. [Read more 🡒]